Paper-making machine



Jan. 6, 1925. l Y 1,522,293

' H. s. FERGUsoN PAPER MAKING MACHINE Filed Deo. 16,-1921 Sheets-Sheet l H. s.` FERGUSON PAPER MAKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 1e, 1921 a sheets-snaai 2 Jan, 6, 1,925

H. s. FERGUSON PAPER MAKING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet v 3 Filed DSG. 16, 1921 l To all whom t muy coin-.cem

Patented Jan. 6, 1925.

HARDY s. FERGUSON, or'NEw Yoan, N. Y.,.Ass1GNoi 'ro GREAT- Noa'rHEBN PArniz.

COMPANY, 0F IVIIIIILLLINOClllil'l,` MAINE, CORQPQRATIQN OF MAINE.`

PAPERFimiziizrci` MACHINE.

- Application led December 16, 1921.V Serial No. 522,749.

Be it knowni r.that I, HARDY S. FERGUSON, a citizen of the United-States, residin at New York city, in the county of New ork and State of New York, haveinvented an Improvement in Paper-Making Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for drivf ing a stack of driers, for instance those used x in a paper machine.

The usual method v of driving` a stack .of dryers is to mount a spur gear o n the end ofone of -the two `journals of each dryer,y

and t0 arran' e them with their axes parallel to each ot er in such a manner, that the gears mesh together successively, forming one or more trains or series, each containing 'sometimes as many as ten dryers. Power for operating eachj train of a stack ofdryers is applied through the driving gears'to the first gear of each train. ,a Y

In this system the power required to rotate any given dryer is `transmitted throughall of the gears of the train in which it is u located, which are between it and the driving gear, and the amount of power which]` must be supplied by the driving gear for this purpose is equal to that actua lygconsumed at the dryer, divided by the product of the efliciencies of every gear lcontact through which it passes. a

. Since these eiiciencies are always less than 100%, the actualy amount of power to be supplied by the driving gear for rotating a dryer which is remotely located from the beginning of the train, is greater than the amount which must thus be supplied to roirate the first in the train, and the differenceincreases very rapidly the further the dryer is located from the driving gear.

An object of this invention is to provide the drier section of a paper-making machine with driving means including a driving shaft co-extensivewith the driers andindependently rotatably connected positively with each drier of the section whereby each drier will be independently driven positivelyA and yet all driers will be constrained .t0 rotate at equalspeeds, l

coextensive with fthe ban s :of driers.

mesh independently with worm gears fixed "to the driers. -Power for rotating-theshaft to rotate lthe' driersmay be applied tothe shaft inanyfsuitable manner. i Fig. 1 isa sideelevation ofthe drier"'sec'- :tion of a- 4paper-making machinefwith my invention applied thereto. a

Fig. 2 is anl enlarged sectional detail, taken along `line 2%-2 of Fig-3, andfillustr'atingl the manner of drivingv the `driers of' both *banksl from; the common' drive shaft.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail taken'along Fig. 4 is aside elevation similar to Fig.' 1 showing the invention yapplied to 'stag` gered driers. .a

My' invention is .particularly adapted for driving banks of driers whereinthe driers of the upper bank are vertically arranged over the driers of the lower bank, and y,will be described in combinationwith such an arrangement fof driers although4 `the inventionr is not limitedftosuch an arrangement, As here shown, the driers `10r are arranged in two superimposed banks. The

`shafts ll'of said driers are rotatably supported in lsuitablebearings 12 in lthe frame 13 andi/. 4 extend beyond said frame to receive driving;v worm 4 gears.' Thel lpaper web is adapted to 'enterfthe drier section'at the left and pass betweenthe end lower drier and the` lower'felt 14 and p-ass about ,said lower drierand thence upwardly between llWo'rms-may be fixed to saidl shaft which may l the upper end drier and the upper felt.v

15 and thence downwardto the nextlower drierandsoon'. Y D 1- A drivin shaft 16 is extended along the banks of' riers midway between" the upper and lower driers and is rotatabl supby a ,pulley 18 at one endA of .Said'shaft or by a pulley 19 intermediate the ends of ported in'suitablebearings 17. Sai shaft. .may be driven by f any suitable Irieanspasy the shaft, and dis osed betweenthe driers,

or both. Said s aft may 'be supported drive both driers. Thepitch of the worms is high to give greater efficiency.v

Wlth this arrangement, each drier is driven by its gear wheel from a worm on the power shaft with which it is directly geared, and no drier gear wheel takes any part in driving any other drier. Never- I theless, though each ydrier'has an individual connection with the power shaft, all the driersof the section are positively connected so that they must rotate at equal speeds.

The arrangement above set forth is more y satisfactory than the train of gears now in use, in that'no more power is required to l ydrive the remote driers of the section than is required to drive the irst drier. Where atrain of gears is used, and .the `first drier `is vdriven from the main drive shaft,vthe

second by gears from the 'first and so on, the loss of power byl gear friction increases very i krapidly with ythe number vof dryers .in a train, and the average or combined efiiclency v of the entire-train yof gears is much lessk than the eiciency of a single pair of gears.

On the contrary wlth the worm gear system of driving each drier directly from the power shaft, the combined efficiency of the gears of a bank of driers as a whole is substantially the same as that of an individual 'gear and its driving worm.

e. The worms. and worm gears are preferably' enclosed in a casing 25 which may contain a bat-h of oil by which the gears are lubricated, although other well known means for lubrication may be employed, and the casing preferably is made substantially oil tight to prevent undue roil leakage.

The arrangement above set forth has, in addition to greatereffieiency than Vthe .drive through a train of spur gears, the advantages of` comparative freedom from noise, reduction in back-lash between the remote driers of the section, and decreased strain upon the driving gears; as contrasted with the usual spur-gear-train system of driving the driers. Y,

It4 must be remembered, however, that the theoretical eliiciency of my system, or other systems, lis never obtained and that poor workmanship on the gears. may destroy the theoretical advantage of my system as compared with gears of perfect workmanship otherwise arranged.

In Fig. 4, I show my invention applied to driers.

the usual staggered driers wherein the -upper driers 30 are staggered with respect to the lower driers 31. The drive shaft 32 is extended longitudinally between the driers, as before, but in this modification, separate worms 33 are carried by the shaft for the drier and mesh with the worm gears 34 of the driers. A -suitable thrust bearing 35 may be employed to restrain the shaft 32 from axial movement due to unbalanced thrust between the worms and worm gears.

Other modifications may readily be conceived.

I claim:

1. A paper-making machine having a plurality of driers about which the paper web is passed in succession to be dried, and driving means for said driers including a plurality of 'driving devicesveacharranged in positive driving engagementwith a pair of driers.

2. A paper-making machine having a plurality of driers disposed in two' superposed rows and between and about which driers the paper web is passed in succession to be dried, and driving Ymeans for said driers including' a common drive shaft extended between and adjacent said driers, and a plurality of driving devices each arranged to be driven directly from said common drive shaft.

3. A papermaking machine having a plurality of driers disposed in two super posed rows and between and about which driers the lpaper is assed in succession to be dried, a drive s aft extended between and adjacent said driers, worm gears carried by said driers, and Worms carried by said shaft each in mesh with the -worm gear of a drier. f 4. A paper-making machine having a plurality of driers about which the paper is passed in succession to be dried, and driving means for said driers including a drive shaft extended adjacent said drier, Worm gears carried by said driers, and worms carried by said shaft in mesh with the worm gears of said driers, each worm common-to two adjacent drier worm ears.

5. A paper-makmg machine having a plurality of driers arranged in two superimposed banks with the driers of the upper bank vertically disposed over the driers of the lower bank, and ositive dri-ving means for said driers comprising a drive shaft disposed between said vbanks of driers, worm gears carried by said'driers, and worms carried by said drive shaft meshing with the worm gears of pairs of vertically disposed 6. A paper-making machine having the combination of a frame, a plurality of driers yrotatably supported in said frame in two memes v Q of the lower bankLsaid driers having tically aligned driers and housings enclosing sh its extended beyond said frame on one each pair of Worm .gears and a common e wmm geai's fixed to said shafts beyond Worm. 10

fname, a drive Shaft extended midway Xn testimony whereof, I have signed my y f @meen Said Worm gears, Worms xed to name to this speciication.

with the Worm gears of a pair of ver- HARDY S. FERGUSON. 

